Disability Statistics

Statistics of Disability

According to the US Department of Commerce, a person has a disability when he/she has difficulty with any of the following:

normal body functions, such as seeing, hearing, talking, or walking
activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing or dressing
certain expected roles, such as doing housework, schoolwork, or working at a job
performing usual activities, such as driving or taking a bus

Approximately 51.2 million people in the US have some type of disability, with physical, sensory, mental, and self-care effects ranging from mild to severe.
Nearly 52 percent of persons over age 65 (or 17.6 million people) have some level of disability.
About 11 million people of all ages are severely disabled and need personal assistance for daily activities.
Stroke is a leading cause of long-term, severe disability in Americans. Today, 5.8 million US adults live with the effects of a stroke.
Approximately 1.4 million Americans experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year.
About 11,000 people in the US suffer a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) each year. At present, about 250,000 to 400,000 people live with a SCI disability.

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Online Resources of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation